Reactor plate and reaction processing method

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein is a reactor plate which prevents the entry of foreign matter from outside and the pollution of an outside environment. The reactor plate includes a sealed reaction well ( 5 ), reaction well channels ( 13, 15, 17 ) connected to the reaction well ( 5 ), and a syringe ( 51 ) for sending a liquid to the reaction well channels ( 13, 15, 17 ) and the reaction well ( 5 ). The syringe ( 51 ) has a cylinder ( 51   a ), a plunger ( 51   b ), and a cover body ( 51   d ). The cover body ( 51   d ) has flexibility in the sliding direction of the plunger ( 51   b ), and is connected to the cylinder ( 51   a ) and the plunger ( 51   b ) to create a sealed space ( 51   e ) enclosed with the cylinder ( 51   a ), the plunger ( 51   b ), and the cover body ( 51   d ). The cover body ( 51   d ) is provided to hermetically cut off a part of an inner wall of the cylinder ( 51   a ) to be brought into contact with the plunger ( 51   b ) from an atmosphere outside the cylinder ( 51   a ).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a reactor plate suitable for use invarious assays and analyses such as biological and biochemical assaysand general chemical analyses in the fields of medical care andchemistry, and a reaction processing method for processing such areactor plate.

2. Description of the Related Art

As small reactors for use in biochemical assays or general chemicalanalyses, micro multi-chamber devices are used. Examples of such devicesinclude micro well reactor plates such as a microtiter plate constitutedfrom a plate-shaped substrate having a plurality of wells formed in thesurface thereof (see, for example, Patent Document 1) and the like.

Further, as a structure for dispensing a small amount of liquid whichcan quantitatively treat a small amount of liquid, a structure having afirst channel, a second channel, a third channel which is incommunication with the first channel through an opening provided in thechannel wall of the first channel, and a fourth channel which is incommunication with the second channel through an opening provided in thechannel wall of the second channel, connects one end of the thirdchannel to the second channel, and has relatively lower capillaryattraction than the third channel is developed (see, for example, PatentDocuments 2, 3). When such a structure for dispensing a small amount ofliquid is used, a liquid introduced into the first channel is drawn intothe third channel, and then the liquid remaining in the first channel isremoved, and as a result, the liquid having a volume corresponding tothe capacity of the third channel is dispensed into the second channel.

-   Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No.    2005-177749-   Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No.    2004-163104-   Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No.    2005-114430-   Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent No. 3452717

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problem to be Solved by the Invention

When a conventional micro well reactor plate is used, the top surface ofthe reactor plate is open to the atmosphere. Therefore, there is a fearthat foreign matter will enter a sample from outside, or on the otherhand, a reaction product will pollute an outside environment.

Further, in the structure for dispensing a small amount of liquiddisclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3, each of the first and secondchannels has a port for introducing a liquid at each end thereof.However, these ports are open to the atmosphere and, therefore, there isa possibility that a reaction product will leak through the ports andthen pollute an outside environment.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a reactorplate which can prevent the entry of foreign matter from outside and thepollution of an outside environment, and a reaction processing methodusing such a reactor plate.

Means for Solving the Problem

The present invention is directed to a reactor plate including a sealedreaction well, a reaction well channel connected to the reaction well,and a syringe for sending a liquid to the reaction well channel and thereaction well. The syringe has a cylinder having a discharge portconnected to the reaction well channel, a plunger placed in thecylinder, and a cover body for hermetically cutting off a part of aninner wall of the cylinder to be brought into contact with the plungerfrom an atmosphere outside the cylinder. The cover body has flexibilityin the sliding direction of the plunger, and is connected to thecylinder and the plunger to create a sealed space enclosed with thecylinder, the plunger, and the cover body.

In the reactor plate according to the present invention, since thereaction well is sealed and an internal space of the cylinder connectedto the reaction well through the discharge port of the cylinder and thereaction well channel is sealed with the plunger, it is possible toprevent the entry of foreign matter from the outside of the reactorplate and the pollution of an outside environment with a liquid.

Further, since the syringe has the cover body for hermetically cuttingoff a part of an inner wall of the cylinder to be brought into contactwith the plunger from an atmosphere outside the cylinder, it is possibleto prevent the entry of foreign matter from outside through a gapbetween the cylinder and the plunger. In addition, it is also possibleto prevent a liquid from leaking out of the reactor plate through thegap between the cylinder and the plunger, thereby preventing thepollution of an outside environment with the liquid.

Here, the cover body needs to have flexibility in at least the slidingdirection of the plunger, but may have flexibility also in a directionother than the sliding direction of the plunger.

The reactor plate according to the present invention may further includea variable capacity part whose internal space is sealed and whoseinternal capacity is passively variable and a syringe air vent channelwhose one end is connected to the sealed space and whose other end isconnected to the variable capacity part.

The reactor plate according to the present invention may further includea sealed well provided separately from the reaction well, a sealed wellchannel connected to the sealed well, and a switching valve forconnecting the syringe to the reaction well channel or the sealed wellchannel.

An example of the sealed well includes a sample well for containing asample liquid.

For example, the sample well may be hermetically sealed with an elasticmember which allows a dispensing device having a sharp tip to passthrough to form a through hole and which also allows the through hole tobe closed by pulling out the dispensing device due to its elasticity.

Further, the sample well may previously contain a liquid for pretreatinga sample or a reagent.

The reactor plate according to the present invention may further includeone or more reagent wells, each of which is constituted from the sealedwell, other than the sample well. The reagent well previously contains areagent to be used for the reaction of a sample liquid and is sealedwith a film, or has an openable and closable cap so that the reagent canbe injected thereinto. An example of the film for sealing the reagentwell to prevent the leakage of the reagent includes one through which adispensing device having a sharp tip can pass.

In a case where the reactor plate according to the present invention isintended to be used for gene analysis, the reactor plate preferablyincludes a gene amplification well which is constituted from the sealedwell and used for carrying out gene amplification reaction. The geneamplification well preferably has a shape suitable for controlling atemperature according to a predetermined temperature cycle. It is to benoted that gene amplification can also be carried out in the reactionwell.

An example of the switching valve includes a rotary valve. The rotaryvalve may have a port to be connected to the syringe at the center ofrotation. In this case, the syringe may be placed on the rotary valve.

The reactor plate according to the present invention may further includea reaction well air vent channel connected to the reaction well. As aspecific example of the channel configuration of the reactor plateaccording to the present invention, the reaction well channel which isconstituted from a groove formed in the contact surface between twomembers bonded together, or from the groove and a through hole formed inboth or one of the members and which includes a main channel connectedto the syringe, a metering channel branched off the main channel andhaving a predetermined capacity, and an injection channel whose one endis connected to the metering channel and whose other end is connected tothe reaction well can be mentioned. In this case, the main channel andthe reaction well air vent channel can be hermetically sealed, and theinjection channel is formed narrower than the metering channel, and doesnot allow the passage of a liquid at a liquid introduction pressureapplied to introduce the liquid into the main channel and the meteringchannel and at a purge pressure applied to purge the liquid from themain channel but allows the passage of the liquid at a pressure higherthan the liquid introduction pressure and the purge pressure.

Here, the phrase “the injection channel is formed narrower than themetering channel” means that in a case where the injection channel isconstituted from a plurality of channels, each of the channelsconstituting the injection channel is formed narrower than the meteringchannel.

The present invention is also directed to a reaction processing methodusing the reactor plate according to the present invention having thechannel configuration described above as an example of a channelconfiguration, the method including filling the main channel and themetering channel with a liquid at the introduction pressure, purging theliquid from the main channel by flowing a gas through the main channelwhile allowing the liquid to remain in the metering channel, andinjecting the liquid contained in the metering channel into the reactionwell through the injection channel by creating a positive pressurehigher than the introduction pressure in the main channel, or bycreating a negative pressure in the reaction well, or by creating apositive pressure higher than the introduction pressure in the mainchannel and creating a negative pressure in the reaction well.

In the channel configuration described above as an example of a channelconfiguration, the contact angle of the injection channel with a waterdrop is, for example, 90° or larger, and the area of an interfacebetween the injection channel and the metering channel is, for example,1 to 10,000,000, μm² (square micrometers). It is to be noted that in acase where the injection channel is constituted from a plurality ofchannels, the phrase “the area of an interface between the injectionchannel and the metering channel” means the area of an interface betweeneach of the channels constituting the injection channel and the meteringchannel.

The reactor plate according to the present invention may include aplurality of the reaction wells. In this case, the metering channel andthe injection channel may be provided for each of the reaction wells,and the plurality of metering channels may be connected to the mainchannel.

Further, a projecting portion may be provided so as to project from atop inner surface of the reaction well. In this case, the other end ofthe injection channel is located at the tip of the projecting portion.The projecting portion includes one having a proximal end and a distalend narrower than the proximal end.

The reaction well can be used for carrying out at least any one of colorreaction, enzymatic reaction, fluorescence reaction, chemiluminescencereaction, and bioluminescence reaction.

In a case where the reactor plate according to the present invention isintended to be used for measuring a gene-containing sample, a samplepreviously subjected to gene amplification reaction may be introducedinto the reactor plate, or a gene amplification reagent may bepreviously contained in the reaction well or the reactor plate may bedesigned to allow a gene amplification reagent to be dispensed into thereaction well so that gene amplification reaction can be carried out inthe reaction well of the reactor plate.

Examples of the gene amplification reaction include PCR method and LAMPmethod. As PCR method for amplifying DNA, a method is proposed fordirectly subjecting a sample such as blood to PCR reaction withoutpretreating the sample. More specifically, this method is a nucleic acidsynthesis method for amplifying a target gene contained in agene-containing sample by adding a gene-containing body contained in thegene-containing sample or the gene-containing sample itself and thenadjusting the pH of the thus obtained reaction mixture to 8.5 to 9.5(25° C.) (see Patent Document 4).

The reaction well may be made of an optically-transparent material sothat optical measurement can be carried out from the bottom of thereaction well or from above the reaction well.

In a case where a liquid to be introduced into the reaction well channelcontains a gene, the reaction well may contain a probe which reacts withthe gene.

Further, the probe may be fluorescently-labeled.

EFFECT OF THE INVENTION

As described above, the reactor plate according to the present inventionincludes a sealed reaction well, a reaction well channel connected tothe reaction well, and a syringe for sending a liquid to the reactionwell channel and the reaction well, the reaction well is sealed, and aninternal space of the cylinder connected to the reaction well throughthe discharge port of the cylinder and the reaction well channel issealed with the plunger. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the entryof foreign matter from the outside of the reactor plate and thepollution of an outside environment with a liquid.

Further, the syringe has a cylinder having a discharge port connected tothe reaction well channel, a plunger placed in the cylinder, and a coverbody for hermetically cutting off a part of an inner wall of thecylinder to be brought into contact with the plunger from an atmosphereoutside the cylinder, and the cover body has flexibility in the slidingdirection of the plunger and is connected to the cylinder and theplunger to create a sealed space enclosed with the cylinder, theplunger, and the cover body. Therefore, it is possible to prevent theentry of foreign matter from outside through a gap between the cylinderand the plunger. In addition, it is also possible to prevent a liquidfrom leaking out of the reactor plate through the gap between thecylinder and the plunger, thereby preventing the pollution of an outsideenvironment with the liquid.

In a case where the reactor plate according to the present invention isintended to be used for measuring a gene-containing sample, the sampleinjected into the reactor plate and then introduced into the reactionwell can be processed in a closed system. Therefore, it is possible toprevent the pollution of an environment outside the reactor plate andthe contamination of the sample with foreign matter coming from outsidethe reactor plate.

The reactor plate according to the present invention may further includea variable capacity part whose internal space is sealed and whoseinternal capacity is passively variable and a syringe air vent channelwhose one end is connected to the sealed space and whose other end isconnected to the variable capacity part. This makes it possible to cutoff the sealed space from an atmosphere outside the reactor plate and torelieve a pressure change in the sealed space caused by a change in theinternal capacity of the sealed space during the sliding of the plunger,thereby making it possible to smoothly slide the plunger.

The reactor plate according to the present invention may further includea sealed well provided separately from the reaction well, a sealed wellchannel connected to the sealed well, and a switching valve forconnecting the syringe to the reaction well channel or the sealed wellchannel.

For example, by providing a sample well for containing a sample liquidas the sealed well, it is possible to eliminate the necessity toseparately prepare a well for containing a sample.

Further, the sample well may be hermetically sealed with an elasticmember which allows a dispensing device having a sharp tip to passthrough to form a through hole and which also allows the through hole tobe closed by pulling out the dispensing device due to its elasticity.This makes it possible to inject a sample liquid into the sample wellsealed with the elastic member and to prevent the sample liquid injectedinto the sample well from leaking out of the sample well.

Further, the sample well may previously contain a liquid for pretreatinga sample or a reagent. This makes it possible to eliminate the necessityto dispense a liquid for pretreating a sample or a reagent into thesample well.

The reactor plate according to the present invention may further includeone or more reagent wells, each of which is constituted from the sealedwell, other than the sample well. By allowing the reagent well topreviously contain a reagent to be used for the reaction of a sampleliquid and sealing it with a film or by allowing the reagent well tohave an openable and closable cap so that the reagent can be injectedthereinto, it is possible to eliminate the necessity to separatelyprepare a well for containing the reagent.

The reactor plate according to the present invention may further includea gene amplification well which is constituted from the sealed well andused for carrying out gene amplification reaction. By providing such agene amplification well, it is possible to amplify a target gene in thereactor plate by gene amplification reaction such as PCR method or LAMPmethod even when a sample liquid contains only a very small amount ofthe target gene, thereby increasing analytical precision.

The reactor plate according to the present invention may further includea sealed well channel connected to the sealed well, a syringe forsending a liquid, and a switching valve for connecting the syringe tothe main channel or the sealed well channel. In this case, a liquidcontained in the sealed well can be injected into the main channel withthe syringe and the switching valve.

The switching valve may be a rotary valve. In this case, by providing aport to be connected to the syringe at the center of rotation of therotary valve, it is possible to simplify a channel configuration.

Further, by providing a port to be connected to the syringe at thecenter of rotation of the rotary valve and placing the syringe on therotary valve, it is possible to shorten or eliminate a channel betweenthe port and the syringe, thereby simplifying the structure of thereactor plate. In addition, it is also possible to effectively utilize aregion on the switching valve, thereby making it possible to make theplanar size of the reactor plate smaller as compared to a case where thesyringe is placed in a region other than the region on the switchingvalve.

The reactor plate according to the present invention may further includea reaction well air vent channel connected to the reaction well. As aspecific example of the channel configuration of the reactor plateaccording to the present invention, the reaction well channel which isconstituted from a groove formed in the contact surface between twomembers bonded together, or from the groove and a through hole formed inboth or one of the members and which includes a main channel connectedto the syringe, a metering channel branched off the main channel andhaving a predetermined capacity, and an injection channel whose one endis connected to the metering channel and whose other end is connected tothe reaction well can be mentioned. In this case, the main channel andthe reaction well air vent channel can be hermetically sealed, and theinjection channel is formed narrower than the metering channel, and doesnot allow the passage of a liquid at a liquid introduction pressureapplied to introduce the liquid into the main channel and the meteringchannel and at a purge pressure applied to purge the liquid from themain channel but allows the passage of the liquid at a pressure higherthan the liquid introduction pressure and the purge pressure. Bycarrying out the reaction processing method according to the presentinvention with the reactor plate according to the present invention, itis possible to prevent the entry of foreign matter from the outside ofthe reactor plate and the pollution of an outside environment with aliquid.

Further, by providing the reaction well air vent channel connected tothe reaction well, it is possible to move a gas between the reactionwell and the reaction well air vent channel when a liquid is injectedinto the reaction well through the injection channel, thereby making itpossible to smoothly inject a liquid into the reaction well. Thereaction well air vent channel can also be used to suck a gas containedin the reaction well to decompress the reaction well to inject a liquidinto the reaction well.

In the channel configuration described above as an example of a channelconfiguration, the contact angle of the metering channel and theinjection channel with a water droplet is preferably 90° or larger, andthe area of an interface between the injection channel and the meteringchannel is preferably 1 to 10,000,000 μm². This makes it difficult for aliquid to enter the injection channel when the liquid is introduced intothe main channel and the metering channel, thereby making it possible toincrease an introduction pressure applied to introduce a liquid into themain channel and the metering channel.

The reactor plate according to the present invention may include aplurality of the reaction wells. In this case, by providing the meteringchannel and the injection channel for each of the reaction wells andconnecting the plurality of metering channels to the main channel, it ispossible to introduce a liquid into the plurality of metering channelsone after another and then simultaneously inject the liquid into theplurality of reaction wells through the injection channels.

Further, a projecting portion may be provided so as to project from atop inner surface of the reaction well. In this case, the other end ofthe injection channel is located at the tip of the projecting portion.By allowing the projecting portion to have a proximal end and a distalend narrower than the proximal end, a liquid to be injected into thereaction well through the injection channel can be easily dropped intothe reaction well.

In a case where the reactor plate according to the present invention isintended to be used for measuring a gene-containing sample, the reactorplate may be designed to allow gene amplification reaction to be carriedout in the reaction well. This makes it possible to eliminate thenecessity to prepare a sample which has been subjected to geneamplification reaction outside the reactor plate.

The reaction well may be made of an optically-transparent material sothat optical measurement can be carried out from the bottom of thereaction well or from above the reaction well. This makes it possible tooptically measure a liquid contained in the reaction well withouttransferring the liquid into another well.

In a case where a liquid to be introduced into the reaction well channelcontains a gene, the reaction well may contain a probe which reacts withthe gene. This makes it possible to detect a gene having a base sequencecorresponding to the probe in the reaction well.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a schematic plan view of one embodiment of a reactor plateaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 1B is a schematic sectional view taken along the A-A line in FIG.1A, which further includes the sectional views of a bellows, drainspaces, a metering channel, an injection channel, and a sample well airvent channel.

FIG. 1C is a schematic expanded sectional view of a syringe 51 and thebellows 53 of the reactor plate in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1A andtheir vicinity.

FIG. 2 shows an exploded sectional view of the reactor plate in theembodiment shown in FIG. 1A and a schematic exploded perspective view ofa switching valve.

FIG. 3A is a schematic plan view of one reaction well of the reactorplate in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1A and its vicinity.

FIG. 3B is a schematic perspective view of one reaction well of thereactor plate in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1A and its vicinity.

FIG. 3C is a schematic sectional view of one reaction well of thereactor plate in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1A and its vicinity.

FIG. 4A is a schematic expanded plan view of a sample well of thereactor plate in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 4B is a sectional view taken along the B-B line in FIG. 4A.

FIG. 5A is an expanded plan view of a reagent well of the reactor platein the embodiment shown in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 5B is a sectional view taken along the C-C line in FIG. 5A.

FIG. 6A is an expanded plan view of a well for air suction of thereactor plate in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 6B is a sectional view taken along the D-D line in FIG. 6A.

FIG. 7 is a schematic sectional view of the reactor plate and a reactionprocessing apparatus for processing the reactor plate.

FIG. 8 is a plan view for explaining the operation of introducing asample liquid into reaction wells from a sample well.

FIG. 9 is a plan view for explaining operation following the operationexplained with reference to FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a plan view for explaining operation following the operationexplained with reference to FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a plan view for explaining operation following the operationexplained with reference to FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a plan view for explaining operation following the operationexplained with reference to FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a plan view for explaining operation following the operationexplained with reference to FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a plan view for explaining operation following the operationexplained with reference to FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a schematic expanded sectional view of a reaction well of areactor plate according to another embodiment of the present inventionand its vicinity.

FIG. 16 is a schematic expanded sectional view of a reaction well of areactor plate according to another embodiment of the present inventionand its vicinity.

FIG. 17 is a schematic expanded sectional view of a reaction well of areactor plate according to another embodiment of the present inventionand its vicinity.

FIG. 18A is a schematic plan view of a reactor plate according toanother embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18B is a schematic sectional view taken along the A-A line in FIG.18A, which further includes the sectional views of a metering channel15, an injection channel 17, reaction well air vent channels 19 and 21,a liquid drain space 29, an air drain space 31, and a bellows 53.

FIG. 18C is a schematic expanded sectional view of a syringe 51 and thebellows 53 of the reactor plate in the embodiment shown in FIG. 18A andtheir vicinity.

FIG. 19A shows a schematic plan view and schematic sectional views of asealing plate of a switching valve of the reactor plate in theembodiment shown in FIG. 18A.

FIG. 19B shows a schematic plan view and schematic sectional views of arotor upper of the switching valve of the reactor plate in theembodiment shown in FIG. 18A.

FIG. 19C shows a schematic plan view and schematic sectional views of arotor base of the switching valve of the reactor plate in the embodimentshown in FIG. 18A.

DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   1 reactor plate-   3 well base-   5 reaction well-   11 channel base-   13 main channel-   15 metering channel-   17 injection channel-   19, 21 reaction well air vent channel-   35 sample well-   35 b, 35 d, 35 e sample well air vent channel-   37 reagent well-   37 b, 37 d, 37 e reagent well air vent channel-   39 well for air suction-   39 b, 39 d, 39 e air vent channel for well for air suction-   51, 87 syringe-   51 a, 87 a cylinder-   51 b, 87 b plunger-   51 d, 87 d cover body-   51 e, 87 e sealed space-   53 bellows (variable capacity part)-   53 c syringe air vent channel-   63, 95 switching valve-   73 channel spacer-   75 projecting portion-   77 injection channel-   79 reaction well air vent channel

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1A is a schematic plan view of one embodiment of a reactor plateaccording to the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a schematic sectionalview taken along the A-A line in FIG. 1A, which further includes thesectional views of a metering channel 15, an injection channel 17,reaction well air vent channels 19 and 21, a liquid drain space 29, anair drain space 31, and a bellows 53. FIG. 1C is a schematic expandedsectional view of a syringe 51 and the bellows 53 of the reactor platein the embodiment shown in FIG. 1A and their vicinity. FIG. 2 shows anexploded sectional view of the reactor plate in the embodiment shown inFIG. 1A and a schematic exploded perspective view of a switching valve.FIGS. 3A to 3C are a schematic plan view, a schematic perspective view,and a schematic sectional view of one reaction well of the reactor platein the embodiment shown in FIG. 1A and its vicinity, respectively. FIG.4A is an expanded plan view of a sample well, and FIG. 4B is a sectionalview taken along the B-B line in FIG. 4A. FIG. 5A is an expanded planview of a reagent well, and FIG. 5B is a sectional view taken along theC-C line in FIG. 5A. FIG. 6A is an expanded plan view of a well for airsuction, and FIG. 6B is a sectional view taken along the D-D line inFIG. 6A. With reference to FIGS. 1A to 6B, the reactor plate accordingto one embodiment of the present invention will be described.

A reactor plate 1 includes a plurality of reaction wells 5 each havingan opening in one surface of a well base 3. In the reactor plate 1according to this embodiment of the present invention, the reactionwells 5 are arranged in an array of 6 rows and 6 columns in a staggeredformat. In each of the reaction wells 5, a reagent 7 and a wax 9 arecontained.

The material of the well base 3 including the reaction wells 5 is notparticularly limited. However, in a case where the reactor plate 1 isintended to be disposable, the material of the well base 3 is preferablya cheaply-available material. Preferred examples of such a materialinclude resin materials such as polypropylene and polycarbonate. In acase where the reactor plate 1 is intended to be used to detect asubstance in the reaction well 5 by absorbance, fluorescence,chemiluminescence, or bioluminescence, the container base 3 ispreferably made of an optically-transparent resin so that opticaldetection can be carried out from the bottom of the reaction well 5.Particularly, in a case where the reactor plate 1 is intended to be usedfor fluorescence detection, the container base 3 is preferably made of alow self-fluorescent (i.e., fluorescence emitted from a material itselfis weak) and optically-transparent resin, such as polycarbonate. Thethickness of the well base 3 is in a range of 0.2 to 4.0 mm(millimeters), preferably in a range of 1.0 to 2.0 mm. From theviewpoint of low self-fluorescence, the thickness of the well base 3 forfluorescence detection is preferably small.

Referring to FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C, 3A, 3B and 3C, a channel base 11 isprovided on the well base 3 so as to cover a region where the reactionwells 5 are arranged. The channel base 11 is made of, for example, PDMS(polydimethylsiloxane) or silicone rubber. The thickness of the channelbase 11 is, for example, from 1.0 to 5.0 mm. The channel base 11 has agroove in its surface which is in contact with the well base 3. Thegroove and the surface of the well base 3 together form a main channel13, the metering channel 15, the injection channel 17, the reaction wellair vent channels 19 and 21, and drain space air vent channels 23 and25. The main channel 13, the metering channel 15, and the injectionchannel 17 constitute a reaction well channel. In the surface of thechannel base 11 which is in contact with the well base 3, a recess 27 isalso provided so as to be located above each of the reaction wells 5. Itis noted that, in FIG. 1A and FIGS. 3A and 3B, the channel base 11 isnot shown, and only the groove and recess provided in the channel base11 are shown.

The main channel 13 is constituted from one channel, and is thereforebent so as to run in the vicinity of all the reaction wells 5. One endof the main channel 13 is connected to a channel 13 a constituted from athrough hole provided in the well base 3. The channel 13 a is connectedto a port of a switching valve 63 (which will be described later). Theother end of the main channel 13 is connected to the liquid drain space29 provided in the well base 3. The main channel 13 is constituted froma groove having a depth of, for example, 400 μm (micrometers) and awidth of, for example, 500 μm. It is noted that a part of the mainchannel 13 having a predetermined length (e.g., 250 μm) and locateddownstream of a position, to which the metering channel 15 is connected,has a width smaller than that of the other part of the main channel 13,and the width of such a part is, for example, 250 μm.

The metering channel 15 branches off the main channel 13, and isprovided for each of the reaction wells 5. The end of the meteringchannel 15 on the opposite side from the main channel 13 is located inthe vicinity of the reaction well 5. The depth of a groove constitutingthe metering channel 15 is, for example, 400 μm. The metering channel 15is designed to have a predetermined internal capacity of, for example,2.5 μL (microliters). A part of the metering channel 15 connected to themain channel 13 has a width larger than that of the above-describednarrow part of the main channel 13 (e.g., 500 μm). Therefore, at aposition where the metering channel 15 branches off the main channel 13,the resistance to the flow of a liquid coming from one end of the mainchannel 13 is larger in the main channel 13 than in the metering channel15. For this reason, the liquid coming from one end of the main channel13 first flows into the metering channel 15 to fill the metering channel15, and then flows downstream through the narrow part of the mainchannel 13.

The injection channel 17 is also provided for each of the reaction wells5. One end of the injection channel 17 is connected to the meteringchannel 15, and the other end of the injection channel 17 is connectedto the recess 27 located above the reaction well 5 so as to be led tothe space above the reaction well 5. The injection channel 17 isdesigned to have a size allowing the liquid-tightness of the reactionwell 5 to be maintained in a state where there is no difference betweenthe pressure in the reaction well 5 and the pressure in the injectionchannel 17. According to the present embodiment, the injection channel17 is constituted from a plurality of grooves, and each groove has adepth of, for example, 10 μm and a width of, for example, 20 μm, and thepitch between the adjacent grooves is, for example, 20 μm, and thethirteen grooves are provided in a region having a width of 500 μm. Inthis case, the area of an interface between the groove constituting theinjection channel 17 and the metering channel 15, that is, thecross-sectional area of the groove constituting the injection channel 17is 200 μm². The recess 27 has a depth of, for example, 400 μm, and has acircular planar shape smaller than that of the reaction well 5.

The reaction well air vent channel 19 is provided for each of thereaction wells 5. One end of the reaction well air vent channel 19 isconnected to the recess 27, which is located above the reaction well 5,at a position different from the position, to which the injectionchannel 17 is connected, so as to be located above the reaction well 5.The reaction well air vent channel 19 is designed to have a sizeallowing the liquid-tightness of the reaction well 5 to be maintained ina state where there is no difference between the pressure in thereaction well 5 and the pressure in the reaction well air vent channel19. The other end of the reaction well air vent channel 19 is connectedto the reaction well air vent channel 21. According to the presentembodiment, the reaction well air vent channel 19 is constituted from aplurality of grooves, and each groove has a depth of, for example, 10wand a width of, for example, 20 μm, and the pitch between the adjacentgrooves is, for example, 20 μm, and the thirteen grooves are provided ina region having a width of 500 μm.

The reactor plate according to the present embodiment has plurality a ofthe reaction well air vent channels 21. To each of the reaction well airvent channels 21, the plurality of reaction well air vent channels 19are connected. These reaction well air vent channels 21 are provided toconnect the reaction well air vent channels 19 to the air drain space 31provided in the well base 3. Each of the reaction well air vent channels21 is constituted from a groove having a depth of, for example, 400 μmand a width of, for example, 500 μm.

The drain space air vent channel 23 is provided to connect the liquiddrain space 29 to a port of the switching valve 63 (which will bedescribed later). One end of the drain space air vent channel 23 islocated above the liquid drain space 29. The other end of the drainspace air vent channel 23 is connected to a channel 23 a constitutedfrom a through hole provided in the well base 3. The channel 23 a isconnected to a port of the switching valve 63 (which will be describedlater). The drain space air vent channel 23 is constituted from a groovehaving a depth of, for example, 400 μm and a width of, for example, 500μm.

The drain space air vent channel 25 is provided to connect the air drainspace 31 to a port of the switching valve 63 (which will be describedlater). One end of the drain space air vent channel 25 is located abovethe air drain space 31. The other end of the drain space air ventchannel 25 is connected to a channel 25 a constituted from a throughhole provided in the well base 3. The channel 25 a is connected to aport of the switching valve 63 (which will be described later). Thedrain space air vent channel 25 is constituted from a groove having adepth of, for example, 400 μm and a width of, for example, 500 μm.

On the channel base 11, a channel cover 33 (not shown in FIG. 1A) isprovided. The channel cover 33 is provided to fix the channel base 11 tothe well base 3. The channel cover 33 has a through hole formed to belocated above each of the reaction wells 5.

Referring to FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C, 4A and 4B, in the well base 3, a samplewell 35, a reagent well 37, and a well 39 for air suction are providedat positions other than the positions of a region where the reactionwells 5 are arranged, and the drain spaces 29 and 31. The sample well35, the reagent well 37, and the well 39 for air suction constitutesealed wells of the reactor plate according to the present invention.

In the well base 3, a sample channel 35 a constituted from a throughhole extending from the bottom of the sample well 35 to the back surfaceof the well base 3 and a sample well air vent channel 35 b constitutedfrom a through hole extending from the top surface to the back surfaceof the well base 3 are provided in the vicinity of the sample well 35.On the well base 3, a projecting portion 35 c is provided so as tosurround an opening of the sample well 35. In the projecting portion 35c, a sample well air vent channel 35 d constituted from a through holeis provided so as to be located above the sample well air vent channel35 b. In the surface of the projecting portion 35 c, a sample well airvent channel 35 e which allows the sample well 35 to communicate withthe sample well air vent channel 35 d is provided.

The sample well air vent channel 35 e is constituted from one or morenarrow holes, and each narrow hole has a width of, for example, 5 to 200μm and a depth of, for example, 5 to 200 μm. The sample well air ventchannel 35 e is provided to maintain the liquid-tightness of the samplewell 35 in a state where there is no difference between the pressure inthe sample well 35 and the pressure in the sample well air vent channel35 d. On the projecting portion 35 c, a septum 41 as an elastic memberto cover the sample well 35 and the air vent channel 35 d is provided.The septum 41 is made of an elastic material such as silicone rubber orPDMS. Therefore, a dispensing device having a sharp tip can pass throughthe septum 41 to form a through hole, but the through hole can be closedby pulling the dispensing device out of the septum 41 due to itselasticity. On the septum 41, a septum stopper 43 for fixing the septum41 is provided. The septum stopper 43 has an opening located above thesample well 35. According to the present embodiment, a reagent 45 ispreviously contained in the sample well 35.

As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, in the well base 3, a reagent channel 37 aconstituted from a through hole extending from the bottom of the reagentwell 37 to the back surface of the well base 3 and a reagent well airvent channel 37 b constituted from a through hole extending from the topsurface to the back surface of the well base 3 are provided in thevicinity of the reagent well 37. On the well base 3, a projectingportion 37 c is provided so as to surround an opening of the reagentwell 37. In the projecting portion 37 c, a reagent well air vent channel37 d constituted from a through hole is provided so as to be locatedabove the reagent well air vent channel 37 b. In the surface of theprojecting portion 37 c, a reagent well air vent channel 37 e whichallows the reagent well 37 to communicate with the reagent well air ventchannel 37 d is provided.

The reagent well air vent channel 37 e is constituted from one or morenarrow holes, and each narrow hole has a width of, for example, 5 to 200μm and a depth of, for example, 5 to 200 μm. The reagent well air ventchannel 37 e is provided to maintain the liquid-tightness of the reagentwell 37 in a state where there is no difference between the pressure inthe reagent well 37 and the pressure in the reagent well air ventchannel 37 d. On the projecting portion 37 c, a film 47 made of, forexample, aluminum to cover the reagent well 37 and the air vent channel37 d is provided. In the reagent well 37, dilution water 49 iscontained.

As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the well 39 for air suction has the samestructure as the reagent well 37. That is, in the well base 3, a channel39 a for air suction constituted from a through hole extending from thebottom of the well 39 for air suction to the back surface of the wellbase 3 and an air vent channel 39 b for the well for air suctionconstituted from a through hole extending from the top surface to theback surface of the well base 3 are provided in the vicinity of the well39 for air suction. On the well base 3, a projecting portion 39 c havingair vent channels 39 d and 39 e for the well for air suction is providedso as to surround an opening of the well 39 for air suction. On theprojecting portion 39 c, a film 47 made of, for example, aluminum isprovided. The well 39 for air suction contains neither a liquid nor asolid, but is filled with air.

Referring to FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C, and 2, a syringe 51 is provided in thesurface of the well base 3 at a position other than the positions of aregion where the reaction wells 5 are arranged, the drain spaces 29 and31, and the wells 35, 37 and 39. The syringe 51 is constituted from acylinder 51 a provided in the well base 3 and having a discharge portprovided at the bottom thereof, a plunger 51 b placed in the cylinder 51a, and a cover body 51 d. In the well base 3, a syringe channel 51 cextending from the discharge port of the cylinder 51 a to the backsurface of the well base 3 is provided.

The cover body 51 d has flexibility in the sliding direction of theplunger 51 b, and is connected to the cylinder 51 a and the plunger 51b. The cover body 51 d is provided to create a sealed space 51 e tohermetically cut off a part of an inner wall of the cylinder 51 a to bebrought into contact with the plunger 51 b from an atmosphere outsidethe cylinder 51 a. The sealed space 51 e is enclosed with the cylinder51 a, the plunger 51 b, and the cover body 51 d. One end of the coverbody 51 d connected to the cylinder 51 a is hermetically fixed to theupper end of the cylinder 51 a by a cylinder cap 51 f. On the otherhand, the other end of the cover body 51 d connected to the plunger 51 bis hermetically connected to the upper surface of the plunger 51 b by anadhesive. However, a method for connecting the cover body 51 d to thecylinder 51 a and the plunger 51 b is not limited to the methoddescribed above, and the connecting positions of the cover body 51 d arenot limited to those described above.

As described above, the cover body 51 d is connected to the cylinder 51a and the plunger 51 b to create a sealed space 51 e enclosed with thecylinder 51 a, the plunger 51 b, and the cover body 51 d and, therefore,it is possible to prevent the entry of foreign matter from outsidethrough a gap between the cylinder 51 a and the plunger 51 b. Inaddition, it is also possible to prevent the leakage of a liquid throughthe gap between the cylinder 51 a and the plunger 51 b, therebypreventing the pollution of an outside environment with the liquid. Itis to be noted that as described above, since the cover body 51 d hasflexibility in the sliding direction of the plunger 51 b, the plunger 51b can be slidably moved.

According to the present embodiment, the plunger 51 b and the cover body51 d are provided as separate members, but the plunger and the coverbody may be integrally molded. The plunger and the cover body can beintegrally molded using, for example, silicone rubber.

In the well base 3, the bellows 53 is also provided at a position otherthan the positions of a region where the reaction wells 5 are arranged,the drain spaces 29 and 31, the wells 35, 37, and 39, and the syringe51. The bellows 53 has a sealed internal space, and the internalcapacity of the bellows 53 is passively variable by extraction andcontraction. The bellows 53 is placed in, for example, a through hole 53a provided in the well base 3.

A well bottom 55 is attached to the back surface of the well base 3 at aposition other than the position of a region where the reaction wells 5are arranged. In the well bottom 55, an air vent channel 53 b isprovided at a position allowing the air vent channel 53 b to communicatewith the bellows 53. The bellows 53 is connected to the well bottom 55so as to be in close contact with the surface of the well bottom 55. Thewell bottom 55 is provided to guide the channels 13 a, 23 a, 25 a, 35 a,35 b, 37 a, 37 b, 39 a, 39 b, 51 c, and 53 b to predetermined portpositions.

In the well base 3 and the well bottom 55, a syringe air vent channel 53c whose one end is connected to the sealed space 51 e and whose otherend is connected to the bellows 53 is provided. In FIG. 1A, the syringeair vent channel 53 c is not shown.

As described above, the reactor plate 1 has the syringe air vent channel53 c whose one end is connected to the sealed space 51 e and whose otherend is connected to the bellows 53 and, therefore, it is possible to cutoff the sealed space 51 e from an atmosphere outside the reactor plate 1and to relieve a pressure change in the sealed space 51 e caused by achange in the internal capacity of the sealed space 51 e during thesliding of the plunger 51 b, thereby making it possible to smoothlyslide the plunger 51 b.

On the surface of the reaction well bottom 55 located on the oppositeside from the well base 3, the rotary switching valve 63 is provided.The switching valve 63 is constituted from disk-shaped sealing plate 57,rotor upper 59, and rotor base 61. The switching valve 63 is attached tothe well bottom 55 by means of a lock 65.

The sealing plate 57 has a through hole 57 a, a through groove 57 b, anda through hole 57 c. The through hole 57 a is provided in the vicinityof the peripheral portion of the sealing plate 57, and is connected toany one of the channels 13 a, 35 a, 37 a, and 39 a. The through groove57 b is provided inside the through hole 57 a and on a circle concentricwith the sealing plate 57, and is connected to at least two of thechannels 23 a, 25 a, 35 b, 37 b, 39 b, and 53 b. The through hole 57 cis provided at the center of the sealing plate 57, and is connected tothe syringe channel 51 c.

The rotor upper 59 has a through hole 59 a, a groove 59 h, and a throughhole 59 c. The through hole 59 a is provided at a position correspondingto the through hole 57 a provided in the sealing plate 57. The groove 59b is provided in the surface of the rotor upper 59 so as to correspondto the through groove 57 b provided in the sealing plate 57. The throughhole 59 c is provided at the center of the rotor upper 59.

The rotor base 61 has a groove 61 a. The groove 61 a is provided in thesurface of the rotor base 61 to connect the through hole 59 a providedin the peripheral portion of the rotor upper 59 and the through hole 59c provided at the center of the rotor upper 59 to each other.

By rotating the switching valve 63, the syringe channel 51 c isconnected to any one of the channels 13 a, 35 a, 37 a, and 39 a, and atthe same time, the air vent channel 53 b is also connected to at leastany one of the channels 23 a, 25 a, 35 b, 37 b, and 39 b.

The switching valve 63 shown in FIG. 1A is in its initial state wherethe syringe channel 51 c is not connected to any one of the channels 13a, 35 a, 37 a, and 39 a, and the air vent channel 53 b is not connectedto any one of the channels 23 a, 25 a, 35 b, 37 b, and 39 b, either.

As described above, the injection channel 17 provided in the reactorplate 1 is designed so that the liquid-tightness of the reaction well 5is maintained in a state where there is no difference between thepressure in the injection channel 17 and the pressure in the reactionwell 5. The reaction well air vent channel 19 is also designed so thatthe liquid-tightness of the reaction well 5 is maintained in a statewhere there is no difference between the pressure in the reaction well 5and the pressure in the reaction well air vent channel 19. The mainchannel 13 constituting the reaction well channel, the liquid drainspace 29 connected to the main channel 13, and the drain space air ventchannel 23 can be hermetically sealed by switching of the switchingvalve 63. The wells 35, 37, and 39 are sealed with the septum 41 or thefilm 47. The channels 35 a, 35 b, 37 a, 37 b, 39 a, and 39 b connectedto the wells 35, 37, and 39, respectively, can be hermetically sealed byswitching the switching valve 63. One end of the air vent channel 53 bis connected to the bellows 53 and, therefore, the air vent channel 53 bis hermetically sealed. As described above, the wells and channels inthe reactor plate 1 constitute a closed system. It is noted that even ina case where the reactor plate 1 does not have the bellows 53 and theair vent channel 53 b is connected to the atmosphere outside the reactorplate 1, the air vent channel 53 b can be cut off from the wells and thechannels other than the air vent channel 53 b provided in the reactorplate 1 by switching of the switching valve 63 and, therefore, the wellsfor containing a liquid and the channels for flowing a liquid can behermetically sealed.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a reaction processing apparatus forprocessing the reactor plate 1 shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C as well asthe reactor plate 1. The reactor plate 1 shown in FIG. 7 has the samestructure as that shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C and, therefore, thedescription thereof is omitted.

The reaction processing apparatus includes a temperature control systemfor controlling the temperature of the reaction wells 5, a syringedriving unit 69 for driving the syringe 51, and a switching valvedriving unit 71 for switching the switching valve 63.

FIGS. 8 to 14 are plan views for explaining the operation of introducinga sample liquid into the reaction wells 5 from the sample well 35. Thisoperation will be described with reference to FIGS. 1A-1C and 8 to 14.

A dispensing device having a sharp tip (not shown) is prepared, and thedispensing device is passed through the septum 41 provided on the samplewell 35 to dispense, for example, 5 μL of a sample liquid into thesample well 35. After the completion of the dispensing of the sampleliquid, the dispensing device is pulled out of the septum 41. By pullingthe dispensing device out of the septum 41, a through hole formed in theseptum 41 is closed due to the elasticity of the septum 41.

The syringe driving unit 69 is connected to the plunger 51 b of thesyringe 51, and the switching valve driving unit 71 is connected to theswitching valve 63.

As shown in FIG. 8, the switching valve 63 in its initial state shown inFIG. 1A is rotated to connect the syringe channel 51 c to the samplechannel 35 a and to connect the air vent channel 53 b to the sample wellair vent channel 35 b. At this time, the air vent channels 37 b and 39 bare also connected to the air vent channel 53 b. The sample well 35contains, for example, 45 μL of a reagent 45.

The plunger 51 b of the syringe 51 is allowed to slide to mix the sampleliquid and the reagent 45 contained in the sample well 35. Then, forexample, only 10 μL of the liquid mixture contained in the sample well35 is sucked into the channel in the switching valve 63, the syringechannel 51 c, and the syringe 51. At this time, the bellows 53 expandsand contracts with changes in the volume of a gas contained in thesample well 35 because the sample well 35 is connected the bellows 53through the air vent channels 35 e, 35 d, and 35 b, the switching valve63, and the air vent channel 53 b. Further, the cover body 51 d isdeformed by sliding the plunger 51 b so that the internal capacity ofthe sealed space 51 e (see FIG. 1C) is changed. The bellows 53 expandsand contracts also with changes in the internal capacity of the sealedspace 51 e because the sealed space 51 e is connected to the bellows 53through the syringe air vent channel 53 c. Also in the operation stepswhich will be described below, the bellows 53 expands and contracts withchanges in the internal capacity of the sealed space 51 e due to thesliding of the plunger 51 b.

As shown in FIG. 9, the switching valve 63 is rotated to connect thesyringe channel 51 c to the reagent channel 37 a and to connect the airvent channel 53 b to the reagent well air vent channel 37 b. The reagentwell 37 contains, for example, 190 μL of dilution water 49. The mixturesucked into the channel in the switching valve 63, the syringe channel51 c, and the syringe 51 is injected into the reagent well 37. Then, thesyringe 51 is slidably moved to mix the mixture and the dilution water49. For example, the whole diluted mixture, that is, 200 μL of thediluted mixture is sucked into the channel in the switching valve 63,the syringe channel 51 c, and the syringe 51. At this time, the bellows53 expands and contracts with changes in the volume of a gas containedin the reagent well 37, since the reagent well 37 is connected to thebellows 53 through the air drain channels 37 e, 37 d, and 37 b, theswitching valve 63, and the air vent channel 53 b.

As shown in FIG. 10, the switching valve 63 is rotated to connect thesyringe channel 51 c to the channel 13 a connected to one end of themain channel 13 and to connect the air vent channel 53 b to the channels23 a and 25 a connected to the liquid drain space 29 and the air drainspace 31, respectively. The syringe 51 is driven in an extrusiondirection to send the diluted mixture sucked into the channel in theswitching valve 63, the syringe channel 51 c, and the syringe 51 to themain channel 13. As shown by the arrows and dots in FIG. 10, the dilutedmixture injected into the main channel 13 through the channel 13 a fillsthe metering channels 15 one after another in order of increasingdistance from the channel 13 a, and then reaches the liquid drain space29. The injection channel 17 allows the passage of a gas but does notallow the passage of the diluted mixture at an introduction pressureapplied to introduce the diluted mixture into the main channel 13 andthe metering channels 15. When the diluted mixture is introduced intothe metering channel 15, a gas contained in the metering channel 15 istransferred into the reaction well 5 through the injection channel 17.Due to the transfer of the gas into the reaction well 5, a gas containedin the reaction well 5 is partially transferred into the reaction wellair vent channels 19 and 21. Furthermore, a gas contained in thechannels between the reaction well air vent channel 19 and the bellows53 is sequentially moved toward the bellows 53 (see open arrows in FIG.10). Further, due to the injection of the diluted mixture into theliquid drain space 29, a gas contained in the channels between theliquid drain space 29 and the bellows 53 is sequentially moved towardthe bellows 53 (see open arrows in FIG. 10). As a result, the bellows 53expands.

As shown in FIG. 11, the switching valve 63 is rotated to connect thesyringe channel 51 c to the channel 39 a for air suction and to connectthe air vent channel 53 b to the air vent channel 39 b for the well forair suction. Then, the syringe 51 is driven in a suction direction tosuck a gas contained in the well 39 for air suction into the channel inthe switching valve 63, the syringe channel 51 c, and the syringe 51. Atthis time, the bellows 53 contracts due to the decompression of the well39 for air suction (see open arrows in FIG. 11), since the well 39 forair suction is connected to the bellows 53 through the air vent channels39 e, 39 d, and 39 b, the switching valve 63, and the air vent channel53 b.

As shown in FIG. 12, the switching valve 63 is rotated to connect thesyringe channel 51 c to the channel 13 a and to connect the air ventchannel 53 b to the channels 23 a and 25 a as in the case of aconnection state shown in FIG. 10. Then, the syringe 51 is driven in anextrusion direction to send a gas contained in the channel in theswitching valve 63, the syringe channel 51 c, and the syringe 51 intothe main channel 13 to purge the diluted mixture from the main channel13 (see open arrows in FIG. 12). At this time, the diluted mixtureremains in the metering channels 15 (see dots in FIG. 12) because theinjection channels 17 do not allow the passage of the diluted mixture ata purge pressure applied to purge the diluted mixture from the mainchannel 13. The purged diluted mixture is injected into the liquid drainspace 29. Further, due to the injection of the diluted mixture into theliquid drain space 29, a gas contained in the channels between theliquid drain space 29 and the bellows 53 is sequentially moved towardthe bellows 53 (see open arrows in FIG. 12). As a result, the bellows 53expands.

As shown in FIG. 13, the switching valve 63 is rotated to connect thesyringe channel 51 c to the channel 39 a for air suction and to connectthe air vent channel 53 b to the air vent channel 39 b for the well forair suction as in the case of a connection state shown in FIG. 11. Then,the syringe 51 is driven in a suction direction to suck a gas containedin the well 39 for air suction into the channel in the switching valve63, the syringe channel 51 c, and the syringe 51. At this time, as inthe case described with reference to FIG. 11, the bellows 53 contracts(see open arrows in FIG. 13).

As shown in FIG. 14, the switching valve 63 is rotated to connect thesyringe channel 51 c to the channel 13 a and to connect the air ventchannel 53 b to the channel 25 a. It is noted that the connection stateshown in FIG. 14 is different from those shown in FIGS. 10 and 12 inthat the liquid drain space 29, to which the downstream end of the mainchannel 13 is connected, is not connected to the channel in theswitching valve 63. Then, the syringe 51 is driven in an extrusiondirection. Since the downstream end of the main channel 13 is notconnected to the bellows 53, a pressure larger than the liquidintroduction pressure and the purge pressure is applied to the inside ofthe main channel 13. As a result, the diluted mixture in the meteringchannels 15 is injected into the reaction wells 5 through the injectionchannels 17. After the completion of the injection of the dilutedmixture into the reaction wells 5, a gas contained in the main channel13 is partially flown into the reaction wells 5 through the meteringchannels 15 and the injection channels 17. At this time, a gas containedin the channels between the reaction wells 5 and the bellows 53 issequentially moved toward the bellows 53 (see open arrows in FIG. 14),since the reaction wells 5 are connected to the bellows 53 through thereaction well air vent channels 19 and 21, the air drain space 31, thedrain space air vent channel 25 a, and the air vent channel 53 b. As aresult, the bellows 53 expands.

The switching valve 63 is returned to its initial state shown in FIG. 1Ato hermetically seal the wells, channels, and drain spaces provided inthe reactor plate 1. Then, the reaction wells 5 are heated by thetemperature control system 67 to melt the wax 9. As a result, thediluted mixture injected into each of the reaction wells 5 sinks belowthe wax 9 and, therefore, the diluted mixture is mixed with the reagent7 so that a reaction occurs. As described above, by using the reactorplate 1, it is possible to perform reaction processing in a closedsystem.

Alternatively, the wax 9 may be melted before the injection of thediluted mixture into the reaction wells 5 by heating the reaction wells5 by the temperature control system 67 so that the diluted mixture isinjected into the reaction wells 5 containing the melted wax 9. In thiscase, the diluted mixture injected into each of the reaction wells 5immediately sinks below the wax 9, and is then mixed with the reagent 7so that a reaction occurs. Even when the switching valve 63 is in theconnection state shown in FIG. 14, the hermeticity of the reactor plate1 is maintained by the bellows 53. By returning the switching valve 63to its initial state shown in FIG. 1A after the injection of the dilutedmixture into the reaction wells 5, it is possible to hermetically sealthe wells, channels, and the drain spaces provided in the reactor plate1. It is noted that the switching valve 63 may be returned to itsinitial state shown in FIG. 1A at any timing during the period from justafter the injection of the diluted mixture into the reaction wells 5until the end of the reaction between the diluted mixture and thereagent 7, or may be returned to its initial state shown in FIG. 1Aafter the completion of the reaction between the diluted mixture and thereagent 7.

As described above, by using the reactor plate 1, it is possible toperform reaction processing in a closed system. In addition, it is alsopossible to maintain the hermeticity of the reactor plate 1 before andafter reaction processing.

According to the present embodiment, grooves for forming the channels13, 15, 17, 19, 21, and 23 are provided in the channel base 11, but thepresent invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example,grooves for forming all or part of these channels may be provided in thesurface of the well base 3.

FIG. 15 is an expanded sectional view schematically showing a reactionwell of a reactor plate according to another embodiment of the presentinvention and its vicinity. The reactor plate according to anotherembodiment of the present invention has the same structure as thereactor plate described above with reference to FIGS. 1A to 14 exceptthat a channel spacer is provided between the well base and the channelbase.

On the well base 3, a channel spacer 73 is provided to cover a regionwhere the reaction wells 5 are arranged. On the channel spacer 73, thechannel base 11 and the channel cover 33 are further provided in thisorder. The channel spacer 73 is made of, for example, PDMS or siliconerubber. The thickness of the channel spacer 73 is, for example, from 0.5to 5.0 mm. The channel spacer 73 has a projecting portion 75 projectinginto each of the reaction wells 5. The projecting portion 75 issubstantially trapezoidal in cross section. For example, the proximalend of the projecting portion 75 has a width of 1.0 to 2.8 mm, and thedistal end of the projecting portion 75 has a width of 0.2 to 0.5 mm.That is, the distal end of the projecting portion 75 is narrower thanthe proximal end of the projecting portion 75. Further, the projectingportion 75 has a super-water-repellent surface. In this regard, it isnoted that it is not always necessary to subject the surface of theprojecting portion 75 to water-repellent treatment.

Further, in the channel spacer 73, an injection channel 77 is providedat a position corresponding to each of the projecting portions 75. Theinjection channel 77 is constituted from a through hole extending fromthe distal end of the projecting portion 75 to the surface of thechannel spacer 73 where the projecting portion 75 is not provided. Theinjection channel 77 has an inner diameter of, for example, 500 μm. Theopening of the injection channel 77 provided on the channel base 11 sideis connected to the injection channel 17 provided in the channel base11. It is noted that the reactor plate according to another embodimentof the present invention is different from the reactor plate describedabove with reference to FIGS. 1A to 14 in that the channel base 11 doesnot have a recess 27.

Further the channel spacer 73 has a reaction well air vent channel 79constituted from a through hole. The reaction well air vent channel 79is provided to allow the reaction well 5 to communicate with thereaction well air vent channel 19 provided in the channel base 11.

Although not shown in FIG. 15, the channel spacer 73 has through holesat positions corresponding to both ends of the main channel 13, one endof each of the reaction well air vent channels 21 located on the airdrain space 31 side, and both ends of each of the drain space air ventchannels 23 and 25 to connect these channels 13, 21, 23, and 25 to thewells 29 and 31 provided in the well base 3 and the channels 23 a and 25a.

According to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 15,the end of the injection channel 77 on the opposite side from theinjection channel 17 (i.e., the other end of the injection channel) islocated at the tip of the projecting portion 75 which projects from thetop inner surface of the reaction well 5 and, therefore, a liquid iseasily dropped into the reaction well 5 through the injection channels17 and 77 when injected into the reaction well 5.

Further, by placing the tip of the projecting portion 75 in the vicinityof the side wall of the reaction well 5 so that when a liquid passesthrough the injection channel 77 and is then discharged from the tip ofthe projecting portion 75, a droplet of the liquid formed at the tip ofthe projecting portion 75 can come into contact with the side wall ofthe reaction well 5, it is possible to inject the liquid into thereaction well 5 along the side wall of the reaction well 5, therebymaking it possible to more reliably inject the liquid into the reactionwell 5. However, the projecting portion 75 may be provided at a positionwhich does not allow a droplet formed at the tip of the projectingportion 75 to be brought into contact with the side wall of the reactionwell 5.

FIG. 16 is an expanded sectional view schematically showing a reactionwell of a reactor plate according to another embodiment of the presentinvention and its vicinity.

The reactor plate according to another embodiment of the presentinvention shown in FIG. 16 is different from the reactor plate describedabove with reference to FIG. 15 in that a projecting portion 81 isfurther provided in the reaction well 5. The tip of the projectingportion 81 is located under the tip of the projecting portion 75. Byproviding the projecting portion 81, it becomes easy to guide a dropletformed at the tip of the projecting portion 75 into the reaction well 5.The projecting portion 81 becomes particularly effective by subjectingthe surface of at least the tip of the projecting portion 81 tohydrophilic treatment.

FIG. 17 is an expanded sectional view schematically showing a reactionwell of a reactor plate according to another embodiment of the presentinvention and its vicinity.

The reactor plate according to another embodiment of the presentinvention shown in FIG. 17 is different from the reactor plate describedabove with reference to FIG. 16 in that a stepped portion 83 and alinear projecting portion 85, which is provided on the top surface ofthe stepped portion 83 in such a manner that a space is left between thetip of the linear projecting portion 85 and the top surface of thereaction well 5, is further provided in the side wall of the reactionwell 5. The stepped portion 83 and the linear projecting portion 85 arecircular when viewed from above. The tip of the linear projectingportion 85 is provided in such a manner that a space is left between thetip of the linear projecting portion 85 and the side wall of thereaction well 5.

By providing the linear projecting portion 85 in such a manner that aspace is left between the tip of the linear projecting portion 85 andthe top surface of the reaction well 5 and between the tip of the linearprojecting portion 85 and the side wall of the reaction well 5, it ispossible to prevent a liquid contained in the reaction well 5 fromreaching the top surface of the reaction well 5 through the side wall ofthe reaction well 5. The linear projecting portion 85 becomesparticularly effective by subjecting the surface of at least the tip ofthe linear projecting portion 85 to water-repellent treatment.

The stepped portion 83 and the linear projecting portion 85 shown inFIG. 17 can also be applied to the embodiment shown in FIG. 15.

In each of these various embodiments described above with reference toFIGS. 15 to 18, grooves for forming the channels 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, and23 are provided in the channel base 11, but the present invention is notlimited to these embodiments. For example, grooves for forming all orpart of these channels may be provided in any one of the surfaces of thechannel spacer 73 located on the channel base 11 side, the surface ofthe channel spacer 73 located on the well base 3 side, and the surfaceof the well base 3.

A part of the cylinder 51 a of the syringe 51 may be constituted from apart of the switching valve 63.

FIGS. 18A, 18B, and 18C show a reactor plate according to anotherembodiment of the present invention. More specifically, FIG. 18A is aschematic plan view of the reactor plate according to another embodimentof the present invention, FIG. 18B is a schematic sectional view takenalong the A-A line in FIG. 18A, which further includes the sectionalviews of the metering channel 15, the injection channel 17, the reactionwell air vent channels 19 and 21, the liquid drain space 29, the airdrain space 31, and the bellows 53, and FIG. 18C is an expandedsectional view schematically showing a syringe 51, the bellows 53 andtheir vicinity. FIGS. 19A, 19B, and 19C are schematic exploded views ofa switching valve 95. More specifically, FIG. 19A shows a plan view andsectional views of a sealing plate 89, FIG. 19B shows a plan view andsectional views of a rotor upper 91, and FIG. 19C shows a plan view andsectional views of a rotor base.

In the reactor plate in the embodiment shown in FIG. 18A, the syringe 87has a cylinder 87 a made of, for example, a resin material such aspolypropylene or polycarbonate, and the cylinder 87 a is integrallymolded with the rotor upper 91 of the switching valve 95.

The syringe 87 is constituted from the cylinder 87 a provided in athrough hole formed in the well base 3 and the well bottom 55, a plunger87 b placed in the cylinder 87 a, and a cover body 87 d.

The cover body 87 d has flexibility in the sliding direction of theplunger 87 b, and is connected to the cylinder 87 a and the plunger 87b. The cover body 87 d is provided to create a sealed space 87 e tohermetically cut off a part of an inner wall of the cylinder 87 a to bebrought into contact with the plunger 87 b from an atmosphere outsidethe cylinder 87 a. The sealed space 87 e is enclosed with the cylinder87 a, the plunger 87 b, and the cover body 87 d.

One end of the cover body 87 d connected to the cylinder 87 a ishermetically fixed to the upper end of the cylinder 87 a by a cylindercap 87 f. On the other hand, the other end of the cover body 87 dconnected to the plunger 87 b is hermetically connected to the uppersurface of the plunger 87 b by an adhesive. However, a method forconnecting the cover body 87 d to the cylinder 87 a and the plunger 87 bis not limited to the method described above, and the connectingpositions of the cover body 87 d are not limited to those describedabove. The plunger and the cover body may be integrally molded. Theplunger and the cover body can be integrally molded using, for example,silicone rubber.

As described above, the cover body 87 d is connected to the cylinder 87a and the plunger 87 b to create a sealed space 87 e enclosed with thecylinder 87 a, the plunger 87 b, and the cover body 87 d and, therefore,it is possible to prevent the entry of foreign matter from outsidethrough a gap between the cylinder 87 a and the plunger 87 b. Inaddition, it is also possible to prevent the leakage of a liquid throughthe gap between the cylinder 87 a and the plunger 87 b, therebypreventing the pollution of an outside environment with the liquid. Itis to be noted that as described above, since the cover body 87 d hasflexibility in the sliding direction of the plunger 87 b, the plunger 87b can be slidably moved.

Referring to FIGS. 19A, 19B, and 19C, the syringe air vent channel 53 cand the switching valve 95 will be described.

The switching valve 95 is constituted from the disk-shaped sealing plate89, rotor upper 91, and rotor base 93, and is attached to the wellbottom 55 by means of a lock 65.

The sealing plate 89 has a through hole 89 a, a through groove 89 b, anda through hole 89 c. The through hole 89 a is provided in the vicinityof the peripheral portion of the sealing plate 89, and is connected toany one of the channels 13 a, 35 a, 37 a, and 39 a. The through groove89 b is provided inside the through hole 89 a and on a circle concentricwith the sealing plate 89, and is connected to at least two of thechannels 23 a, 25 a, 35 b, 37 b, 39 b, and 53 b. The through hole 89 cis provided at the center of the sealing plate 89 to insert the cylinder87 a thereinto. On the surface of the sealing plate 89 opposed to thewell bottom 55, a fluorine resin layer (not shown) is provided.

The rotor upper 91 has the cylindrical cylinder 87 a, a through hole 91a, a groove 91 b, a through hole 91 c, and a through hole 91 d. Thecylinder 87 a is provided on one surface of the rotor upper 91 so as tobe located in the central portion of the rotor upper 91. The throughhole 91 a is provided at a position corresponding to the position of thethrough hole 89 a provided in the sealing plate 89. The groove 91 b isprovided in the surface of the rotor upper 91 so as to correspond to thethrough groove 89 b provided in the sealing plate 89. The through hole91 c is provided in the groove 91 b, and the through hole 91 d isprovided at the center of the rotor upper 91. The through hole 91 d islocated at the bottom of the cylinder 87 a and constitutes a dischargeport of the cylinder 87 a.

In the rotor upper 91, the syringe air vent channel 53 c constitutedfrom a through hole extending from the upper end surface of the cylinder87 a to the back surface of the rotor upper 91 is also provided. In theupper end surface of the cylinder 87 a, a notch extending from thesurface of the inner wall of the cylinder 87 a to the syringe air ventchannel 53 c is provided. As shown in FIG. 18C, the notch allows thesealed space 87 e to communicate with the syringe air vent channel 53 cin a state where the upper end surface of the cylinder 87 a is coveredwith the cover body 87 d.

The rotor base 93 has a groove 93 a and a groove 93 b in its surface tobe bonded to the back surface of the rotor upper 91. The groove 93 a isprovided to connect the through hole 91 a and the through hole 91 dprovided in the rotor upper 91 to each other, and the groove 93 b isprovided to connect the syringe air vent channel 53 c and the throughhole 91 c provided in the rotor upper 91 to each other.

As shown in FIG. 18B, the sealing plate 89, the rotor upper 91, and therotor base 93 constituting the switching valve 95 are superposed so thatthe cylinder 87 a is inserted into the through hole 89 c of the sealingplate 89.

The through hole 91 d of the rotor upper 91 constituting a dischargeport of the cylinder 87 a is connected to the through hole 89 a of thesealing plate 89 through the groove 93 a of the rotor base 93 and thethrough hole 91 a of the rotor upper 91.

The sealed space 87 e (see FIG. 18C) is connected to the through groove89 b of the sealing plate 89 through the syringe air vent channel 53 c,the groove 93 b of the rotor base 93, the through hole 91 c and thethrough groove 91 b of the rotor upper 91.

Referring to FIGS. 18A, 18B, 18C, 19A, 19B, and 19C, channel connectionwill be described.

By rotating the switching valve 95, the through hole 91 d of the rotorupper 91 constituting a discharge port of the cylinder 87 a is connectedto any one of the channels 13 a, 35 a, 37 a, and 39 a through the groove93 a, the through hole 91 a, and the through hole 89 a.

Further, at the same time as the through hole 91 d is connected to anyone of the channels 13 a, 35 a, 37 a, and 39 a, the air vent channel 53b is connected to at least any one of the channels 23 a, 25 a, 35 b, 37b, and 39 b through the through grooves 89 b and 91 b. At this time, thesealed space 87 e is connected to the air vent channel 53 b through thecylinder air vent channel 53 c, the groove 93 b, the through hole 91 c,and the through grooves 89 b and 91 b.

According to this embodiment, it is possible to eliminate the necessityto provide a channel between the syringe 87 and the switching valve 95,thereby simplifying the channel configuration of the reactor plate.

In general, in a case where a channel has a joint, there is apossibility that a liquid or a gas will leak through the joint or aliquid will be accumulated in the joint. However, according to thisembodiment, since the cylinder 87 a and the rotor upper 91 areintegrally molded, there is no joint between the syringe 87 and theswitching valve 95 and, therefore, liquid leakage, gas leakage, andliquid accumulation do not occur between the syringe 87 and theswitching valve 95.

In general, in a case where liquid accumulation occurs in the joint of achannel, there is a fear of reduction in the volume of a liquid to befed through the channel, carry-over of a liquid accumulated in the jointof the channel into another liquid fed through the channel or acontamination of another liquid fed through the channel with a liquidaccumulated in the joint of the channel, or fluctuation in theconcentration of a liquid fed through the channel. However, according tothis embodiment, since there is no joint between the syringe 87 and theswitching valve 95, such a fear can be eliminated.

As shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C, in a case where the channel 51 c isprovided between the syringe 51 and the switching valve 63 to arrangethe syringe above the switching valve, the cylinder 51 a cannot beformed in a portion where the channel 51 c is provided. However, sincethe reactor plate according to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 18A, 18B,and 18C does not need to have a channel between the syringe 87 and theswitching valve 95, the capacity of the cylinder 87 a can be made largerthan that of the cylinder 51 a even when the cylinder 51 a and thecylinder 81 a have the same two-dimensional size.

In a case where the cylinder 87 a is formed to have the same capacityand two-dimensional size as the cylinder 51 a, the level of the upperend surface of the cylinder 87 a can be made lower than that of thecylinder 51 a. On the other hand, in a case where the cylinder 87 a isformed to have the same capacity and the upper end surface level as thecylinder 51 a, the two-dimensional size of the cylinder 87 a can be madesmaller than that of the cylinder 51 a.

For example, even in a case where the upper end surface of the cylinder51 a needs to be located at a higher level than the upper surface of theentire reactor plate 1 due to limitations on the two-dimensional size ofthe entire reactor plate 1, since the level of the upper end surface ofthe cylinder 87 a can be made lower than that of the cylinder 51 a whilethe capacity and two-dimensional size of the cylinder 87 a remain thesame as the cylinder 51 a, it is possible to allow the upper end surfaceof the cylinder 87 a to be located at the same or lower level than theupper surface of the entire reactor plate 1. This makes it possible toeliminate problems caused by the cylinder whose upper end surface islocated at a higher level than the upper surface of the entire reactorplate, such as difficulty in stacking two or more reactor plates on topof each other for storage and increase in the size of a package of thereactor plate.

By making the two-dimensional size of the cylinder 87 a smaller thanthat of the cylinder 51 a while the capacity of the cylinder 87 aremains the same as the cylinder 51 a, it is also possible to reduce thetwo-dimensional size of the entire reactor plate 1.

Although the present invention has been described above with referenceto the various embodiments, the present invention is not limited tothese embodiments. The shape, material, position, number, and size ofeach component and the channel configuration of the reactor plate in theabove description are merely examples, and various changes can be madewithout departing from the scope of the present invention defined inclaims.

For example, the bellows 53 connected to the air vent channel 53 b mayhave another structure as long as it is a variable capacity member whoseinternal capacity is passively variable. Examples of such a bellows 53having another structure include a bag-shaped one made of a flexiblematerial and a syringe-shaped one.

The reactor plate according to the present invention does not alwaysneed to have a variable capacity member such as a bellows 53. Further,in a case where a liquid such as a reagent is not previously containedin the well 35, 37, or 39, the air vent channel thereof does not alwaysneed to partially have the channel 35 e, 37 e, or 39 e constituted froma narrow hole.

In each of the above embodiments, the air vent channels 35 b, 37 b, and39 b, which communicate with the wells 35, 37, and 39 provided as sealedwells, are connected to the air vent channel 53 b through the switchingvalve 63, but may be directly connected to the outside of the reactorplate or a variable capacity part such as a bellows 53. Each of thewells 35, 37, and 39 may be sealed by using an openable and closablecap.

In each of the above embodiments, the well base 3 is constituted fromone component, but may be constituted from two or more components.

The reagent contained in the reaction well 5 may be a dry reagent.

It is noted that the sample well 35 and the reaction well 5 do notalways need to previously contain a reagent.

In each of the above embodiments, the reagent well 37 contains dilutionwater 49, but may contain a reagent instead of the dilution water 49.

The well base 3 may further have a gene amplification well for carryingout gene amplification reaction. For example, the empty reagent well 37may be used as a gene amplification well.

By previously placing a reagent for gene amplification reaction in thereaction well 5, it is possible to carry out gene amplification reactionin the reaction well 5.

In a case where a liquid to be introduced into the main channel 13contains a gene, a probe which reacts with the gene may be previouslyplaced in the reaction well 5.

In each of the above embodiments, the syringe 51 is placed on theswitching valve 63. However, the position of the syringe 51 is notlimited to a position on the switching valve 63, and the syringe 51 maybe placed at any position.

In each of the above embodiments, the rotary switching valve 63 is usedas a switching valve. However, a switching valve for use in the reactorplate according to the present invention is not limited thereto, andvarious channel switching valves can be used. The reactor plateaccording to the present invention may have a plurality of switchingvalves.

In each of the above embodiments, a liquid filling the metering channel15 is injected into the reaction well 5 through the injection channel 17by applying a pressure to the inside of the main channel 13 after airpurge, but the reaction processing method according to the presentinvention is not limited to such a method. For example, a liquid fillingthe metering channel 15 may be injected into the reaction well 5 throughthe injection channel 17 by creating a negative pressure in the reactionwell air vent channel 21 and then in the reaction well 5. In this case,it is necessary to change the channel configuration of the reactor plateso that a negative pressure can be created in the reaction well air ventchannel 21 by using the syringe 51. Alternatively, another syringe maybe additionally prepared. In this case, a positive pressure is createdin the main channel 13 and a negative pressure is created in thereaction well 5 to inject the liquid into the reaction well 5.

In each of the above embodiments, one main channel 13 is provided, andall the metering channels 15 are connected to the main channel 13.However, the channel configuration of the reactor plate according to thepresent invention is not limited thereto. For example, a plurality ofmain channels may be provided. In this case, one or more meteringchannels may be connected to each of the main channels.

In the reactor plate according to the present invention, the mainchannel can be hermetically sealed. In this regard, the main channel maybe hermetically sealed by, for example, allowing both ends of the mainchannel to be openable and closable. The phrase “allowing both ends ofthe main channel to be openable and closable” includes a case where eachend of the main channel is connected to another space, and the end ofthe space located on the opposite side from the main channel is openableand closable. In the case of each of the above embodiments, such‘another space’ corresponds to, for example, the channel 13 a, theliquid drain space 29, the drain space air vent channel 23, or thechannel 23 a.

In the reactor plate according to the present invention, the reactionwell air vent channel can be hermetically sealed. In this regard, thereaction well air vent channel may be hermetically sealed by, forexample, allowing the end of the reaction well air vent channel locatedon the opposite side from the reaction well to be openable and closable.The phrase “allowing the end of the reaction well air vent channellocated on the opposite side from the reaction well to be openable andclosable” includes a case where the end of the reaction well air ventchannel located on the opposite side from the reaction well is connectedto another space, and the end of the space located on the opposite sidefrom the reaction well air vent channel is openable and closable. In thecase of each of the above embodiments, such ‘another space’ correspondsto, for example, the air drain space 31, the drain space air ventchannel 25, or the channel 25 a.

In the case of such an aspect, a liquid is introduced into the mainchannel and the metering channels, and next, the liquid is purged fromthe main channel, and further, the liquid remaining in the meteringchannels is injected into the reaction wells, and thereafter both endsof the main channel and one end of the reaction well air vent channellocated on the opposite side from the reaction well are closed tohermetically seal the main channel and the reaction well air ventchannel.

The present invention can be applied to measurements of various chemicaland biochemical reactions.

1. A reactor plate comprising: a sealed reaction well; a reaction wellchannel connected to the reaction well; and a syringe for sending aliquid to the reaction well channel and the reaction well, wherein thesyringe has a cylinder having a discharge port connected to the reactionwell channel, a plunger placed in the cylinder, and a cover body forhermetically cutting off a part of an inner wall of the cylinder to bebrought into contact with the plunger from an atmosphere outside thecylinder, and wherein the cover body has flexibility in the slidingdirection of the plunger, and is connected to the cylinder and theplunger to create a sealed space enclosed with the cylinder, theplunger, and the cover body.
 2. The reactor plate according to claim 1,further comprising a variable capacity part whose internal space issealed and whose internal capacity is passively variable and a syringeair vent channel whose one end is connected to the sealed space andwhose another end is connected to the variable capacity part.
 3. Thereactor plate according to claim 1, further comprising sealed wellprovided separately from the reaction well, a sealed well channelconnected to the sealed well, and a switching valve for connecting thesyringe to the reaction well channel or the sealed well channel.
 4. Thereactor plate according to claim 3, wherein the sealed well is a samplewell for containing, a sample liquid.
 5. The reactor plate according toclaim 4, wherein the sample well is sealed with an elastic member whichallows a dispensing device having a sharp tip to pass through to form athrough hole and which also allows the through hole to be closed bypulling out the dispensing device due to its elasticity.
 6. The reactorplate according to claim 5, wherein the sample well previously containsa liquid for pretreating a sample or a reagent.
 7. The reactor plateaccording to claim 3, further comprising one or more reagent wells, eachof which is constituted from the sealed well, other than the samplewell, wherein the reagent well previously contains a reagent to be usedfor the reaction of a sample liquid and is sealed with a film, or has anopenable and closable cap so that the reagent can be injected thereinto.8. The reactor plate according to claim 3, further comprising a geneamplification well which is constituted from the sealed well and usedfor carrying out gene amplification reaction.
 9. The reactor plateaccording to claim 3, wherein the switching valve is a rotary valve. 10.The reactor plate according to claim 9, wherein the rotary valve has aport to be connected to the syringe at the center of rotation and thesyringe is placed on the rotary valve.
 11. The reactor plate accordingto claim 1, further comprising a reaction well air vent channelconnected to the reaction well, wherein the reaction well channel isconstituted from a groove formed in the contact surface between twomembers bonded together, or from the groove and a through hole formed inboth or one of the members, and includes a main channel connected to thesyringe, a metering channel branched off the main channel and having apredetermined capacity, and an injection channel whose one end isconnected to the metering channel and whose other end is connected tothe reaction well, and wherein the main channel and the reaction wellair vent channel can be hermetically sealed, and the injection channelis formed narrower than the metering channel, and does not allow thepassage of a liquid at a liquid introduction pressure applied tointroduce the liquid into the main channel and the metering channel andat a purge pressure applied to purge the liquid from the main channelbut allows the passage of the liquid at a pressure higher than theliquid introduction pressure and the purge pressure.
 12. The reactorplate according to claim 11, wherein the contact angle of the injectionchannel with a water droplet is 90° or larger, and the area of aninterface between the injection channel and the metering channel is 1 to10,000,000 μm².
 13. The reactor plate according to claim 11, whichcomprises a plurality of the reaction wells, wherein the meteringchannel and the injection channel are provided for each of the reactionwells and the plurality of metering channels are connected to the mainchannel.
 14. The reactor plate according to claim 11, further comprisinga projecting portion which projects from a top inner surface of thereaction well and has a proximal end and a distal end narrower than theproximal end, wherein the other end of the injection channel is locatedat the tip of the projecting portion.
 15. The reactor plate according toclaim 1, wherein the reaction well is used for carrying out at least anyone of color reaction, enzymatic reaction, fluorescence reaction,chemiluminescence reaction, and bioluminescence reaction.
 16. Thereactor plate according to claim 1, which is intended to be used formeasuring a gene-containing sample, wherein gene amplification reactionis carried out in the reaction well.
 17. The reactor plate according toclaim 1, wherein the reaction well is made of an optically-transparentmaterial so that optical measurement can be carried out from the bottomof the reaction well or from above the reaction well.
 18. The reactorplate according to claim 1, wherein when a liquid to be injected intothe reaction well contains a gene, the reaction well contains a probewhich reacts with the gene.
 19. A reaction processing method using thereactor plate according to claim 11, comprising: filling the mainchannel and the metering channel with a liquid at the introductionpressure; purging the liquid from the main channel by flowing a gasthrough the main channel while allowing the liquid to remain in themetering channel; and injecting the liquid contained in the meteringchannel into the reaction well through the injection channel by creatinga positive pressure higher than the introduction pressure in the mainchannel, or by creating a negative pressure in the reaction well, or bycreating a positive pressure higher than the introduction pressure inthe main channel and creating a negative pressure in the reaction well.